Cockroaches are Celebrating - U.S. Leads Way Toward New Nuclear Arms Race

[Q]

Published on Monday, December 8, 2003 by WorkingforChange.com

The Cockroaches are Celebrating
U.S. Leads Way Toward New Nuclear Arms Race

by Sean Gonsalves

The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill signed by President Bush last week is being celebrated by cockroaches the world over. The bill, among other things, provides funding for research in developing nuclear weapons with first-strike capability.

We are now one step closer to nuclear war and if the path we are following is pursued to its logical conclusion, the Information Age will be followed by a radioactive Cockroach Era.The tragic irony here is that while the president speaks forcefully about the need to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, his administration is pursuing policies that is likely to enflame the global threat.

"The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill... is a milestone in the further nuclearization of U.S. foreign policy," cautions Greg Mello, director of the Los Alamos Study Group. "The weapons to be developed are explicitly for potential use against targets in many countries, not just one or two," he says.

The fact that these weapons are of little use to the military, to say nothing of the predictable health, political, legal, and moral consequences of such policy directives, suggests that this is being driven more by an ideological "push" than any military "pull," Mello says.

"It is unlikely that the drive for new nukes can be stopped unless Democrats and arms controllers are willing to rethink their support and legitimization of the other 99.9 percent of Department of Energy and Department of Defense nuclear weapons programs." - http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1208-11.htm

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- Most Americans will never know they're financing a new generation of nuclear weapons because the funding is hidden within an 'Energy and Water' Bill. America should be leading by example and destroying their 'weapons of mass destruction' instead of building more of them.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. To the Bush administration

WMD should always be hidden - that's why they think Saddam had so many - because you couldn't see them.

[G_j]

2. quote

"I'm totally offended by this administration," said Rep. Curt Weldon, R- Pa., a onetime White House ally on nuclear issues, and vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "I happen to think they're out of bounds on this. There's an important sea change in the world, and we have no idea what our policy is.

"It's a major national scandal in the making," Weldon said in an interview with The Chronicle last week. "I'm totally frustrated."

from the SF Chronicle, but I can't get the link I have to work. :-(

[chookie]

3. I don't get it

Mind you, I am no military strategist, but what good does first strike nuclear capacity do to deal with the reality of war in the modern world, i.e. the shadow side of globalization and imperialism -- jihad and quagmire?

What's the point of bombing people back to the stone age, when they seem to do very well with low-tech weapons like box cutters, donkey carts, and conventional explosives?

This is what they spend our money on, but they don't have the means to secure old Soviet nuclear and biological weapons, or closely guard our ports?

Only strategic use of these weapons is to make it easier and faster for bastards like Bush to "commit" our nation, it's blood, and its treasures, to further imperial adventures to benefit the global plutocracy.

[MuseRider]

4. I simply do not know what to say.

It is unimaginable that any government would do this AND to hide it from the people. No words, none.

[loudnclear]

5. This my friends, is the story of the day!!

the single most important reason to get rid of the neocons. Just tell the socker moms...they will understand...i think.

[jpgray]

6. You speak for me (nt)

[MuseRider]

7. I sent the link out

to all my friends. It needs to get out.

[BeFree]

8. Not good....

And to think we almost had that Genie back in the bottle. Damn.

Well, we need to get doing something if there's ever gonna be a snow-balls chance in hell of the human race making it through another century.

I have seen -- from a thousand miles -- the resulting flash from an above ground test. The adults in the crowd were streaming tears because of the frightful prospects. I now know why, and am myself frightened.

Folks, if we are ever gonna be safe, we've all got to do our part. I'm counting on ya'll.

[G_j]

9. kick